What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this film includes scenes showing a counselor's attempted seduction of his teenaged charge (the older man takes photos of the boy and asks him to take off his shirt). Characters use strong language (frequent use of "f--k," slang for male and female genitals), drink and smoke cigarettes (a 12-year-old girl smokes with her classmate). Flashbacks show the protagonist in sexual situations with women who are not his wife (including brief nudity). When a young girl is called a "Camel toe," the film includes an insert shots to illustrate the reference (as well as a real camel's foot, to pound home the point). The film is focused on family tensions, so many scenes show arguments and resentments. The grandfather is dying, so the film includes several scenes in the hospital. A character points an arrow at his wife's new boyfriend. Several men fight with one another, drawing blood.
- Families can talk about the divorced father's misguided efforts to reunite with his family. How does Dave's own father's illness prompt him to reconcile with his wife and children? What might he do to pay more attention to what they need from him? How might Shelly's parents help her to deal more effectively with the kids' taunting at school?